A culture moves to protect itself. Any objections?

[Mornac]

That’s not an escargot, it’s a bigorneau – and yes that does come from the sea. I’ve never eaten one but I hear they’re kinda like mussels.

[Sassy]

French synonyms - bigorneau  , escargot de mer, vigneau, bigornot

http://dictionary.reverso.net/french-synonyms/bigorneau

[Pepsi]

as an aside anyone who lives in North America and hasn't visited Quebec.. must do so.   many people say Quebec City is the most beautiful city in North America and I do agree.   

[vel]

My experience with the French is that if you act helpless by, say, asking them directions without even attempting French, they will completely disrespect you.

However if you attempt to approach them in their language, even if you do it poorly, it's a whole different story.

But I do have to say that even with that I much prefer the Italians and the Spaniards.

[Mornac]

as an aside anyone who lives in North America and hasn't visited Quebec.. must do so.   many people say Quebec City is the most beautiful city in North America and I do agree.   

--Guess ya never been to Weehawken.

[vel]

Guess ya never been to Weehawken.

Never, but I didn't mean to slight the French. The Italians and Spaniards are just incredible.

One of my favorite travel experiences was taking a train from Venice to Naples. I had a little book that described all of the towns we were passing through. The Italians on the train were so excited that I was interested in their little towns that they grabbed the book from my hands and insisted on turning the pages for me to show me the next town.

They are just full of life, like I have never seen anywhere else.

[Mornac]

My experience with the French is that if you act helpless by, say, asking them directions without even attempting French, they will completely disrespect you.

However if you attempt to approach them in their language, even if you do it poorly, it's a whole different story.

But I do have to say that even with that I much prefer the Italians and the Spaniards.

--The Italians are the most amusing culture in the Western world as far as I'm concerned

[Pepsi]

But I do have to say that even with that I much prefer the Italians and the Spaniards.

That's because the Italians and Spaniards actually like Americans, whereas the French, not so much  

[Mornac]

Highlights from the Hungarian Constitution which went into effect yesterday (1-1-12):

[Preamble:]

God bless the Hungarians
...

We are proud that our king Saint Stephen built the Hungarian State on solid ground and made our country a part of Christian Europe one thousand years ago.
...

We recognise the role of Christianity in preserving nationhood. We value the various religious traditions of our country.
...

We do not recognise the suspension of our historical constitution due to foreign occupations. We deny any statute of limitations for the inhuman crimes committed against the Hungarian nation and its citizens under the National Socialist and Communist dictatorships.

We do not recognise the Communist constitution of 1949, since it was the  basis for tyrannical rule; therefore we proclaim it to be invalid.
...

Article L

(1) Hungary shall protect the institution of marriage as the union of a man and a woman established by voluntary decision, and the family as the basis of the nation’s survival.

(2) Hungary shall encourage the commitment to have children.
...

FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY
...

Article II

Human dignity shall be inviolable. Every human being shall have the right to life and human dignity; embryonic and foetal life shall be subject to protection from the moment of conception.

http://www.parlament.hu/angol/angol.htm

[Mornac]

French president rejects calls for secular values to be in constitution

By Catholic News Service

PARIS (CNS) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy rejected calls for secular values to be enshrined into his country's constitution and urged religious leaders to do more to spread their message in the country.

"A secular society is one which has decided to separate churches from the state, so the state doesn't have to account for its choices to churches, and churches don't depend on the state to live and organize -- this is secularity, a secular republic," he told religious leaders at a traditional New Year meeting Jan. 25.

"But this doesn't mean churches, respecting the law, are forbidden from speaking. Nor does it mean your words shouldn't go beyond the walls of your places of worship. That would be a strange idea of democracy: Everyone has a right to speak, except you," he told the leaders, including Paris Cardinal Andre Vingt-Trois.

Sarkozy said France's status as a "secular and social republic" was "written in black and white" in its constitution, along with its guiding principle of "laicite," or secularism.

However, he added that the country's religions should also participate in national debates and in "creating our cultural identities." He said it would be a "strange schizophrenia" to preserve France's religious heritage while insisting religions had "nothing more to say, offer and impart."

"The spiritual richness you animate, the depth of thought you embody, the values you bear all have a vocation to address themselves to those who never cross the threshold of your churches, mosques, synagogues and temples," the president told the religious leaders.

Catholics traditionally make up two-thirds of France's 60 million inhabitants, although fewer than one in 10 attends Sunday Mass, and 40 percent of the population denies any faith.

Church leaders rejected calls for changes in the application of "laicite" when a commission was set up in 2002 by the country's former prime minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin.

However, Sarkozy, a Catholic, pledged to improve ties with religious communities before his May 2007 election. Since then he has called for religion to play a more prominent part in public life.

During a December 2007 visit to Rome, he said he believed "laicite," set out in a 1905 church-state separation law, should be interpreted "more positively" to enable religion to be seen "not as a danger, but as an advantage."

After another Vatican visit in October 2010, the president was accused by opposition politicians of violating the secularism principle by taking part in prayers at Rome's Basilica of St. John Lateran.

In his January speech, Sarkozy defended a controversial April ban on Muslim veils, which he said were "incompatible" the country's values and the "dignity of women."

However, he added that he was also deeply concerned by recent "aggressions against religious symbols," including attacks on Jewish and Muslim cemeteries, and said the country would guarantee all citizens "the right to practice their chosen faith."

"Not only does our republic guard against intervening in the religious sphere -- it will always be ready to defend those who are attacked or threatened because they believe, pray or witness publicly to their faith," the president said.

"Our republic will intervene immediately if citizens start affronting each other and will be implacable toward all those who seek even once to inflame the furnace of religious hatred on its territory. This ravaging hatred has sometimes been on the point of sweeping France away. Let things be clear: It will not do so again."

French newspapers said Sarkozy's speech was timed to rebut a Jan. 22 call by Francois Hollande, his main Socialist challenger in April-May presidential elections, for the 1905 separation law to be written into the national constitution.

Cardinal Vingt-Trois also criticized Hollande's proposal, as did Orthodox, Muslim and Jewish leaders.

In his speech, Sarkozy said he felt "truly comforted" by the presence of religious leaders, who demonstrated France had "created conditions for peaceful, harmonious and friendly coexistence between religions."

He added that Christianity had become a target in the country, and he praised Cardinal Vingt-Trois for "showing French Catholics are not living in an isolated camp and can respond to provocation with communion."

"As I've said many times, freedom of conscience is perhaps the most precious good guaranteed by our republican laws," the president told religious leaders.

"No religion will impose dogmas and precepts in France on those who wish to avoid them. But nothing can prohibit the idea of transcendence from being present in our society. The concord and harmony governing relations between the different religious currents here and irrigating the social body provide an excellent guarantee of peace," he said.

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/1200356.htm

[johnhp]

So Sarkozy is now coming out against the burqa ban?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/6556300/Nicolas-Sarkozy-pushes-for-burqa-ban-in-France.html